Hoplophobia (fear of guns): symptoms, causes and treatment

A rare phobia in which an exaggerated fear of guns is experienced.

Experiencing a certain fear in the presence of a firearm is a natural reaction from the point of view of reason. Moreover, the number of accidents, misfortunes or catastrophes related to them does not help to change this.

However, leaving aside their reputation or one's personal opinion of them, there have been a number of cases in which firearms have been used in the past, there have been a number of cases in which people manifest an irrational and extreme fear of these devices, this fear is known as hoplophobia..

What is hoplophobia?

Hoplophobia is a specific phobia in which the person experiences an unusual, exacerbated and unfounded fear of weapons in general or specifically of firearms.

If we consider the origin of the term, it derives from the Greek expression "hoplon" which means weapon and "phobos" which can be translated as fear. So it is logical to think that this phobia includes any type of weapon such as pistols, rifles, rifles, rifles or any other type of firearm.

Sometimes this phobia is also manifested by an irrational and excessive fear towards people who carry or use weapons, or it can even present a great rejection of the person who carries or uses weapons. it can even present a great rejection or aversion to toy weapons..

Like the rest of existing phobia, a person with hoplophobia will experience a series of emotions and physical manifestations related to a very high state of anxiety.

History of the term hoplophobia

In 1962, Colonel Jeff Cooper, a firearms instructor and specialist, created this term to refer to a phenomenon he had witnessed on a recurring basis. This phenomenon consisted of a kind of mental alteration distinguished by an irrational aversion or terror to weapons.

Another of the characteristics that distinguished Cooper was that people suffering from hoplophobia have a series of recurrent thoughts about guns having a will of their own..

Currently, hoplophobia is studied from a psychological perspective, which attempts to understand the internal devices involved in the development of a phobic fear. Although there is not a large body of research on hoplophobia, it fits perfectly with the requirements for a phobic fear. It must be:

• Unconscionable
• Irrational
• To be out of the domain or control of the person.
• Persistent

As a consequence of all these characteristics, it is common for the person suffering from hoplophobia to avoid by all means contact with any type of firearm. They will also engage in all sorts of escape behaviors whenever they discover the presence of a firearm.

Symptoms

Since hoplophobia fits into the classification of specific phobias, its symptoms are similar to those of any other anxiety disorder of this type.

These anxious manifestations appear whenever the person is in front of a firearm, even when it is not clearly in sight.. That is, a person with hoplophobia may only begin to experience symptoms when he or she sees a police officer with a gun hanging from his or her belt.

Like all other phobias, this symptomatology can be divided into physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms.

1. Physical symptoms

The sensations of fear in the presence or sighting of a firearm generate hyperactivity of the autonomic nervous system of the brain. This intensification of the functioning of the nervous system generates all kinds of changes and transformations in the organism.

During the anxiety episode the person may experience a host of physical symptoms. These include:

• Increased Heart rate
• Tachycardia
• Increased breathing rate
• Choking sensation
• Increased muscle tension
• Headache
• Stomach pain
• Hyperhidrosis
• Dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dry mouth

2. Cognitive symptoms

Hoplophobia is associated with a series of beliefs and speculations related to the fear of firearms.

These distorted thoughts drive the development of this phobia and are distinguished because the person integrates a series of illogical beliefs about firearms and their attributes or qualities.

3. Behavioral symptoms

As would be expected given the nature of this fear, hoplophobia carries with it a series of behavioral symptoms. This behavioral symptomatology is manifested through avoidance and escape behaviors.

Avoidance behaviors refer to all those acts or behaviors that the person carries out with the intention of avoiding encountering the phobic stimulus.. In this way they manage to avoid the anguish and anxiety generated by the situation.

As for escape behaviors or acts, if the person cannot avoid encountering the object of his phobia, in this case weapons, he will do everything necessary to escape from the situation in which he is involved.

Causes

As mentioned above, there is not a large volume of study of hoplophobia, so its causes are not yet fully established.. However, it is speculated that its etiology would have the same basis as the rest of specific phobias.

Taking into account the theories about the development of phobias, those people with traumatic experiences in relation to weapons or whose education proclaimed an intense rejection to these would be much more susceptible to develop this type of phobia.

Treatment

In most cases hoplophobia does not become highly incapacitating since the number of situations in which a person has to witness or face a gun is not usually high..

Therefore, since hoplophobia does not usually interfere with a person's daily life, very few people seek professional help to treat this anxiety disorder.

However, there are a number of specific situations or contexts in which it is possible for this phobia to obstruct the person's daily routine. These exceptions include people who live in countries where gun possession is legal, or people who work in contexts where gun use is common, such as security forces or police forces.

In these cases, interventions through psychotherapy including cognitive-behavioral treatment are highly effective. This treatment can help the person overcome their phobic fear through gradual exposure to the stimulus accompanied by training in relaxation techniques.